Inside Ryūchi Cave, Tagorihime carried the delicacies she'd bought from a human town and placed them carefully in front of Uchiha Hikari.
After finishing, she immediately retreated to stand beside the White Snake Sage, peeking out to watch Takeshi's reaction not far away.
What humiliation. As one of the Three Great Goddesses, she might not rule the skies in Ryūchi Cave, but she was at least second to none. Yet ever since these two arrived, she'd suddenly been reduced to a servant.
Granted, she'd been a servant before.
But she had served the legendary lord of Ryūchi Cave — the famed White Snake Sage.
And now? She actually had to bow to a human girl and occasionally endure that girl's cold, silent mistreatment.
What a disgrace.
Tagorihime felt so wronged she wanted to bite her handkerchief.
Takeshi — who had once blasted Ryūchi Cave with ninjutsu — was actually much easier to deal with. Ever since he received the training method, he'd been guiding natural energy into his body and still showed no sign of awakening.
But seeing his unchanged appearance, Tagorihime couldn't help whispering to the White Snake Sage beside her, covering her mouth with her sleeve:
"He's been training for almost a month now. Why is there still no sign of transformation?"
According to Ryūchi Cave's method, once someone enters Sage Mode there should be visible changes — growing horns, forming scales — all normal.
But this person…
Although he had absorbed a lot of natural energy, his appearance hadn't changed in the slightest.
"Heh, how shallow."
Still in the form of an old woman, the White Snake Sage tapped her pipe twice on her shoe, drew it to life, let the smoke curl upward, and said:
"Tagorihime, tell me — what is Sage Mode?"
Called upon, Tagorihime thought a moment, hid her mouth with her sleeve and answered softly:
"The fusion of natural energy and chakra."
"That answer isn't wrong. But tell me — in the ancient era before chakra existed, how did beings enter Sage Mode?"
The question stumped Tagorihime and set the other two goddesses thinking. The only one who didn't react was Uchiha Hikari, who was absorbed in eating.
"Modern Sage Mode requires the user to pre-absorb natural energy and fuse it with their chakra to temporarily enter that state," the White Snake Sage continued after clicking her tongue and inhaling the smoke drifting in the air.
"But in the era before chakra, those who mastered natural energy could be said to have become one with it. They could freely call on nature's energy from heaven and earth, using the power of nature itself against foes."
Her narrowed eyes opened slightly as she recalled ancient texts and let her imagination roam.
"Just as the Ōtsutsuki evolved via chakra and gained near-limitless life, those who truly mastered natural energy in that era also had lifespans far beyond ordinary people."
Ichikishimahime sneered: "If natural energy is so powerful, why didn't they defeat the Ōtsutsuki? Ultimately, natural energy is inferior to chakra."
The White Snake Sage didn't get angry. She simply glanced at Ichikishimahime and said,
"Heh — that's both right and wrong. The Ōtsutsuki's terror isn't just chakra; it's also their divine arts."
"Divine arts?"
The three goddesses were stunned. Even Uchiha Hikari paused her roast-duck duel.
"Ninjutsu, which ninjas cast through hand seals to manipulate chakra, at its root is only reproducing phenomena produced by divine arts. Omniscient, omnipotent, knowing past and future — that is the awful reality of the Ōtsutsuki."
"Terrifying…"
Tagitsuhime shivered at the description. The other two goddesses didn't speak, but their expressions made their thoughts clear.
"If the Ōtsutsuki are that terrible, why bother fighting? We should surrender."
As the atmosphere fell, Uchiha Hikari spat out a bit of bone, tossed her duck leg aside, and sneered at the White Snake Sage.
"Hehehe. I'd love to surrender. But the Ōtsutsuki's evolution will inevitably destroy this planet, so I've no choice but to fight."
The White Snake Sage remained unruffled by Hikari's disrespect.
"Sounds pretty, but what you're really doing is finding some hot-blooded fool to charge for you while you profit."
Uchiha Hikari bluntly called out the Sage's real motive.
"I don't deny that. But opposing the Ōtsutsuki is also your human goal. I'm giving you new power — how you use it to defeat them is your business."
The Sage quelled the goddesses who bristled at Hikari's tone. The three shifted into half-snake, half-human forms and fixed Hikari with cold stares.
In response, Hikari opened her Mangekyō Sharingan and the faint outline of Susanoo flickered into being.
Susanoo… the White Snake Sage would never allow such a massive thing to run rampant in her cave.
"Alright, calm down. Don't disturb that Fifth Hokage's training."
When the White Snake Sage mentioned Takeshi, Hikari snorted and sat back, her disdain only deepening.
The three goddesses ground their teeth, but without the Sage's command they didn't dare act. Facing Susanoo, they had no real counter unless the White Snake Sage intervened.
"Where was I? Ah — natural energy. If the Fifth Hokage can adapt to pure natural energy and use it without entering Sage Mode, he'll have touched the threshold of longevity."
The White Snake Sage hinted.
"Longevity? How long could he live?"
The goddesses asked.
"A thousand years shouldn't be a problem. After all, I've lived this long," the Sage said with a chuckle. "At least far longer than that bodyguard girl of his."
Hikari heard the baiting and only snorted.
…
The Chūnin Exams concluded smoothly.
No enemy attack, no chaos, no sudden fights — the entire exam finished peacefully and the nobles returned to their territories. The shinobi world had seemingly regained its long-missed calm.
As agreed, Mei Terumī and Ringo Ameyuri left Konoha with Hiruko. Konoha dispatched Kakashi's Team Seven as escort to take Hiruko to the Fire Country's port.
"Kakashi-sensei, I heard you've mastered all five natures and inherited your father's sword style?" Mei asked casually along the road.
Kakashi answered any non-classified questions. The friendly atmosphere lasted until they neared a mountain pass.
"Please wait," Karin suddenly raised her hand, signaling ahead.
"What is it, Karin?" Kakashi assumed a defensive stance; he trusted Uzumaki sensing.
"A strange chakra signature is rapidly approaching from twelve o'clock. Huge chakra reserves…"
Thunder began to rumble ahead.
"No way…"
Kakashi's face changed as purple lightning crackled around him.
"Naruto, Sasuke, protect Karin. If things go wrong, forget us and retreat!"
He didn't order them to protect Hiruko — a colleague from Orochimaru's era and Konoha's Research Bureau director, Hiruko probably had unknown trump cards.
"Ameyuri, you too. Protect those three. If it's wrong, withdraw with them." Mei instructed.
"I know." Ringo licked her lips, excitement rising; she didn't seem to take Mei's words too seriously.
"Watch your feet!" Karin warned.
Before the thunder hit, the ground suddenly twisted: spikes thrust up from flat earth. Thanks to Karin's warning and the strength of the shinobi present, none were hurt.
Then the surging lightning struck — a blazing elbow targeted Kakashi.
"Thunderclap Charge."
Kakashi met it head-on. Purple lightning collided with the thunder, producing a powerful shockwave.
"Hatake Kakashi? Long time no see — you've improved. You even pilfered my secret technique," called the attacker — A. Seeing Kakashi stand and clash, A was surprised.
"Fourth Raikage, traitor to the shinobi — what brings you here?"
Though Kakashi temporarily held A off, he didn't relax. His lightning style borrowed much from A's attacks, but everything was his own discovery; still, he couldn't match A in speed or strength.
"Lava Release — Lava Monster Technique."
A corrosive viscous acid spat from Mei's mouth. Kakashi retreated, exposing A to Mei's Lava Release.
A didn't dodge the acid; instead he increased his lightning-chakra output. The powerful lightning armor collided with the corrosive attack. Amid the hissing corrosion, A burst through the acidic fog, charging straight at Mei.
"Boil Release."
Seeing melting fail, Mei formed seals and cast Boil Release. A, once hurt by such fog, changed course mid-charge and began going for Hiruko.
"Don't you dare!"
Kakashi reacted to the change, but suddenly the ground beneath him rose up and formed a cage, binding him.
"Damn — another Earth-Release user?" Naruto urged Karin to locate the hidden earth-user while he rushed toward Hiruko.
"You idiot!" Sasuke stomped in frustration, wanting to follow but needing to protect Karin.
"Don't worry — I'm not fragile enough to need a Chūnin's protection," Hiruko smiled coolly, swept out his sleeve, and let fall a mass of black material.
"What is that?" A asked, puzzled but still attacking.
"Iron Sand World Method!"
As Hiruko formed seals, the black matter coalesced into giant square blocks that sprouted spikes to block A.
"Sand Iron?"
After taking a few hits against A's lightning armor, A recognized the material favored by the Third Kazekage — dust iron. Damn leaf shinobi — where did they learn Magnet Release?
Though puzzled, the trick couldn't stop A. The hard dust iron shattered on impact and he soon reached Hiruko.
"Come with me, you bastard!"
A reached out to crush Hiruko.
"You forget me?" Ringo swung her blade at A.
"Get lost."
A figure suddenly appeared between them and, with a single punch, sent Ringo flying. Naruto rushed to help and was kicked aside as well. Though it felt like a kick, Naruto sensed no contact — the foe vanished from sight.
"Wind Style — Gale Palm."
Naruto leapt from another angle, delivering a Gale Palm at the newcomer.
"Interesting."
The new enemy wasn't fazed. With a flick of their arm, the ground rose into a solid stone wall. Naruto's Gale Palm shattered it, but A's huge hand had already reached Hiruko's face.
Two fireballs materialized: one separated Hiruko and A; the other aimed straight for the newcomer.